EDWARD PELKEY -- 96th INFANTRYBORN IN CHAMPLAIN -- DIED IN CHAMPLAIN - Edward Pelkey was recorded asEdward Palica on his Muster Roll Abstract. He was born in 1843 inChamplain, the son of Jean-Antoine Peltier and Marie Josette Dupuis. Hewas one of the few men from Clinton County who was in the Civil War for5 years and came out unscathed in 1866.Edward was in the 96th Infantry for the whole of his military service.He enlisted in Sciota on October 20, 1861 and a month later, wasmustered into Company A with men mostly from Chateaugay, NY. He thoughthe was going to be in the army for 3 years.In March 1862, they left Plattsburgh and by May they were at the Siegeof Yorktown. Their largest battle was at Fair Oaks, VA, at the end ofMay and by the end of the year, they had been in 9 more battles and werein North Carolina. The 96th stayed in North Carolina for the next yearand lost no men in battle, although in the swamps along the coast manymen who died of disease.After his veterans furlough, he re-enlisted on January 17, 1864, inPlymouth, NC. The 96th spent most of 1864 before Petersburg and Richmondand sustained almost 300 casualties including more than 60 dead ormortally wounded. At Chaffins Farm they had their heaviest engagement --19 killed or mortally wounded, 60 injured and 24 who were captured orwent missing. On December 1, 1864, Edward was promoted to corporal, buton Mach 2, 1865, he was returned to ranks.The regiment stayed in the Petersburg area for the winter and were thereto watch its fall on April 2, 1865. On February 8, 1866, Edward musteredout at City Point, VA, after spending 1865 in police and garrison dutieskeeping law and order in the recently defeated city.Edward worked in Clinton and Essex Counties after the war, and it wasn'tuntil 1893, when he was 49 years old that he married. His wife was ElizaJane Bombard. He continued working around the North Country and died inhis hometown of Champlain on December 26, 1911. He is buried withanother wife, Anna E. Watson in the Pleasant View Cemetery inWilmington, NY.
